Folding egg-crate.



l Z. i i 4224 H. D. DENNIS. FOLDING EGG CRATE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1,1908.

Patented Dec. s, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

III

imrrn n STATES PATENT ora on.

HENRY D. DENNIS, OF OASHION, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO SHERMAN J. EVANS AND WILLARD MURDOOK, OF OASHION, OKLAHOMA.

FOLDING EGG-CRATE.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oashion, in the county of Kingfisher and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Egg-Crates, of which the following is a speciflcation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in folding or knock down shipping crates and more particularly to one especially designed as an egg crate.

The object of the invention is to rovide a device of this character which'will be simple and comparatively inexpensive in construc tion, strong and durable in use, and convenient to set up or knock down.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved fastening or locking device for the lid or cover of the crate.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved egg crate; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the crate with the cover removed; Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse and longitudinal sectional views through the crate in its open position; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the crate in its closed or folded position; Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the cover; and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views showing the lock or fastening for the cover of the crate.

My improved foldable shipping or egg crate comprises a body having a bottom 1, two sides each composed of a stationary section 2 and an inwardly and downwardly swinging section 3, and two ends each composed of a stationary section 4 and an inwardly and downwardly swinging section 5. The stationary sections 2, 4 of the sides and ends rise vertically from the edges of the bottom 1 and the sections 2 are of greater height than the sections 4 so that when the swinging end sections 5 are folded downwardly the swinging side sections 3 may dro over upon them and upon each other and ie substantially parallel with the bottom.

6 denotes two metal reinforcing straps extending across the upper face of the bottom Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 1, 1908.

' Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 436,033.

adjacent to its ends and having right angularly bent end portions 7 secured to the inner faces of the side sections 2 and formed at their upper extremities with hinge members or eyes 8 which receive pintles 9 and co-acting hinge members or eyes 10 formed upon the lower ends of reinforcing straps 11 secured upon the inner faces of the swinging sections 3 of the sides, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The combined reinforcing and hinge straps 6, 7, 11 are comparatively broad and are secured to the crate by nails 12 passed through apertures formed in said straps and having their inner ends bent or clenched, as indicated at 13. By means of this construction it will be seen that the crate will be exceedingly strong and durable and that it may be made of the comparatively light or thin boards from which the ordinary egg crates now in general use are constructed. Said straps, it will be noted, strengthen and reinforce the boards and prevent them from splitting and warping. The stationary side sections 2 may be further strengthened by right angular reinforcing straps 14 arranged midway the length of the body and having horizontal flanges secured upon the upper face of the bottom and vertical flanges secured to the inner faces of the sections 2. The vertical flanges extend the full height of the sections 2 and the horizontal flanges preferably extend inwardly about one-third the width of the bottom, as seen in Fig. 2.

The swinging sections 5 of the ends are united by hinges 15 similar to the ones above described and each having a broad member or strap 16 secured to the inner face of the section 5 and extending upwardly about half of its height so as to strengthen and reinforce it, and right angular members or straps 17, the horizontal flanges of which are secured upon the bottom 1 and extend inwardly to the straps 6 and the vertical flanges of which are secured to the inner faces of the stationary end sections 4. Two of the hinges 15 are preferably provided for each end of the crate.

18 denotes angle metal reinforcing plates secured upon the inner faces of the swinging side sections 3 adjacent to their ends. These plates have broad flanges secured by clenched nails 19 to said sections 3 and short inwardly projecting flanges 20 to engage the outer edges of the swinging end sections 5 to pre vent the latter from swinging outwardly and to effectively strengthen the body of the crate when it is set up for use. By constructing these reinforcing members 18 of angle metal plates, it will be seen that they will effectively strengthen the sides and at the same time occupy but little space.

21 denotes hooks pivoted at 22 upon the upper faces of the swinging end sections 5 adjacent to their upper corners and adapted to drop into keeper notches 23 formed in the upper edges of the side sections 3 and the reinforcing plates 18. These hooks hold the sides and ends of the crate in their open position when its cover is removed and while it is being filled or emptied.

24 denotes angle metal corner 'caps or lates secured upon the four corners of the ottom of the body to effectively strengthen it and to prevent wear.

The lid or cover of the crate consists of a top board 25 and two depending cross bars or end pieces 26 arranged at its ends and 'effectively connected to it by metal corner pieces or caps 27 which are similar to the caps 24 upon the corners of the bottom. The top board 25 is as wide as the body of the crate and the end pieces 26 are adapted to receive the end sections 5 of the crate body between them, Secured upon the under face of the top board 25, at its center and at points intermediate its center and ends, are transverse reinforcing straps 28, the ends of which are bent downwardly at right angles to provide projections 29 which engage the outer faces of the swinging side sections 3 of the body when the cover is in position upon the latter. The endmost straps 28 are preferably disposed so that their portions 29 will be opposite the reinforcing and hingestraps 11 upon the inner faces of the side sections 3, when the cover is in position upon the body. It will be seen that this construction provides a cover which is light in construction and at the same time exceedingly strong and durable and one which may be applied to the body of the crate when in both its 0 en position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of t e drawings, "and in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 5.

In order to effectively lock the crate in either its open or folded position, I provide at the ends of its cover or lid locking levers 30. These levers are the same at both ends of the crate and I will therefore describe but one. The inner end of the lever is pivoted at 3-1 to an angle metal reinforcing plate 32 secured to the outer face and the bottom edge of one of the end pieces 26 and said inner end is formed with a laterally projecting curved hook 33. The other end of the lever is formed With a curved finger piece 34 and is so constructed that when the lever is swung to its locked position it will lie entirely within the plane of the outer face of any obstruction but at the same time the finger may be readily engaged with the finger piece 34 to swing the lever outwardly and to retract its hook. The inward movement of the outer end of the lever is limited by a stop pin or projection 35 arranged upon the plate 32 and it is adapted to be frictionally retained in its locking position by a projection 36 over which the lever is sprung when it is forced to its locking position. The hook 33 of the lever is adapted to enter a horizontal slot or recess 37 formed in the end section 5 of the crate and covered by a metal reinforcing plate 38 having a slot 39 to register with the slot 37 and a cross piece 40 in said slot to be engaged by the hook 33. When the hook is engaged with said cross piece or pin 40 the cover will be effectively locked upon the top of the crate and there will be ractically no danger of it becoming casual y unfastened but at the same time it may be quickly and easily unfastened by simply swinging the outer end or finger piece 34 of the lever outwardly. When the body of the crate is folded, as shown in Fig. 5, and the cover or lid placed thereon it is locked by the entrance of the hook in a horizontal slot or recess 41 formed in the stationary end section 4 of the body.

42 denotes a removable partition arranged transversely in the crate between its sides and its top and bottom. This partition is used when the crate is employed for shipping eggs and is held in position by the spacing sheets and egg holders, and owing to the peculiar construction of the crate no extraneous fastening devices are necessary to retain it in its central position. When the crate is folded said partition and the spacing plates and filler sections or egg holders may be placed in the bottom of the body beneath the end sections 5.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides a shipping crate for eggs or the like, which will be exceedingly strong and durable in construction and at the same time one that may be constructed of coinparatively thin lumber or boards and which Will, consequently, be compact. By 0011- structing the hinges with the reinforcing straps and providing the other reinforcing plates and straps, light, thin lumber may be employed to produce a crate which will be compact, light in weight, and exceedingly durable, and by employing clenched nails instead of screws or similar fastenings there will be practically no danger of the parts separating.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A folding crate-comprising a body having a bottom, sides composed of stationary lower sections and inwardly swinging upper sections, ends composed of stationary lower sections and inwardly swinging upper sections, reinforcing straps extending across the upper face of the bottom and the inner faces of the stationary side sections and terminating in hinge members, hinge straps extending across the inner faces of the swinging side sections and having their lower ends formed with hinge straps engaged with the first mentioned hinge straps, strap hinges uniting the swinging end sections to the stationary end sections, said hinges having their members extended to reinforce the bottom and ends of the crate, angle metal reinforcing plates secured to the upright edges of the swinging side sections and having inwardly extending flanges to engage theswinging end sections, said reinforcing plates being formed in their upper edges with notches, hooks pivoted upon the inner faces of the swinging end sections and adapted to engage the notches in said reinforcing plates and a removable cover for the body of the crate.

2. A folding crate comprising a body having a bottom, sides composedof stationary lower sections and inwardly swinging upper sections, ends composed of stationary lower sections and inwardly swinging upper sections, said upper and lower end sections being formed with keeper recesses, metal wear plates arranged over said recesses in the swinging end sections and provided with slots and pins arranged in the latter, a cover or lid having end pieces and depending side projections, locking levers pivoted at their inner ends to the bottom edges of the end i pieces of the cover and having at said inner ends curved hooks and at their outer ends finger pieces, said hooks being adapted to enter the keeper recesses in the end sections of the crate body when the latter is either folded or opened, said hooks being adapted ,to engage the pins in the slots in said wear tplates when the body is opened, and means or retaining the levers in their locking position.

3. The combination with a crate or case having in one of its walls a notch or recess, a

, slotted wear plate arranged over said notch or recess and a keeper pin carried by the plate and extending across its slot, of a cover having a depending end piece, an angular wear plate secured on said end piece, a lever pivoted at its inner end uponsaid angular wear plate and formed at said end with a laterally projecting hook adapted to enter the slot in the wear plate upon the crate and to engage said keeper pin, the outer end of the lever being formed with a finger piece, a stop pin upon the angular wear plate and adapted to be engaged by the finger piece of the lever to limit the swinging movement of the latter and a keeper projection upon the angular wear plate over which said lever is adapted to be sprung when moving it to its locking position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY D. DENNIS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. O. COLE, O. R. KLINGMAN. 

